New Delhi:

“Drink if you dare” – Arvind Kejriwal’s dramatic response to the Election Commission’s demand for proof to back claims the BJP’s Haryana government attempted “genocide” by mixing “poison” in Yamuna water supplied to Delhi. “We have four bottles… will send to each one of them… please drink and show us. Then we will believe,” he said, pointing to a row of plastic bottles filled, he said, with Yamuna water.

Hours earlier the EC directed Mr Kejriwal submit “factual evidence” by 11 am Friday.

It also sought answers to five questions, including what kind of ‘poison’ was used, who detected its presence, and how and where it was found. In its letter, the poll body dismissed last night’s submission – a social media post in which Mr Kejriwal cited Delhi Jal Board data that said ammonia levels in the Yamuna had reached critical levels, and that it was “extremely poisonous for human health”.

The EC acknowledged receipt of claims of a “sharp increase in ammonia levels in the water”, but indicated it would not concern itself with the AAP’s allegations of “deliberate act of water terrorism”. This issue, it said, would be left to the “competence and discretion of governments”.

Instead, the poll body rebuked the former Delhi Chief Minister for being “entirely silent… on your widely circulated… statement of ‘poisoning of Yamuna by Government of Haryana with intention to cause genocide in Delhi’ (and) equating it with an act of war between two nations”.

“… no factual and legal matrix, with evidence, has been provided to support your statement.”

Prima facie these comments, the EC also said, had been found as “promoting disharmony and enmity between different groups, and overall public disorder and unrest…”

That such allegations have been made “at a delicate time of peak of campaign (for next week’s Delhi Assembly election)”, the EC continued, “prima facie, pose a serious risk of endangering peace and harmony between states”. The poll panel then gave time to file a “specific and pointed reply”.

The row over ‘poison’ in the Yamuna erupted Monday after Mr Kejriwal accused the BJP of having contaminated the water supply to “create chaos… hoping the blame will fall” on his party.

READ | Row Over Kejriwal’s “Haryana Mixing Poison In Yamuna Water” Claim

His remarks were amplified Chief Minister Atishi, who accused the BJP of “water terrorism” and wrote to Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, to red-flag dangerous levels of ammonia – 700 times the limit.

READ | In “Yamuna Poison” Row, Atishi’s “Nadir Shah” Jab At Lt Governor

The BJP hit back hard, first with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini counter-accusing Mr Kejriwal of making “blatantly false and disgusting statements” and demanding he apologise.

Then Prime Minister Narendra Modi waded in; at an election rally in Delhi Wednesday evening he thundered that his party wouldn’t dare ‘poison’ the same water he drinks every day, and claimed Mr Kejriwal was trying to divert attention from failed promises to clean the Yamuna.

READ | “Can Haryana BJP Govt Poison Water I Drink?” PM Blasts AAP

And, last evening, in a dramatic video shared online, Mr Saini drank a handful of water directly from the river at the point it flows past a Delhi village. The video was quickly questioned by the AAP, which claimed the Chief Minister had, in fact, spat out the water instead of drinking it.

The BJP’s Haryana unit countered, accusing Mr Kejriwal of having shared an “edited” video.

READ | Kejriwal Says Haryana Chief Minister “Spat Out” Water, BJP Responds

The Congress has also jumped in the fray, with senior party leader Rahul Gandhi reminding Mr Kejriwal of his pre-2020 election promise to drink, one day, from the Yamuna to signify its purity.

A case has also been filed against the AAP leader in a Haryana court.

The Delhi Jal Board, meanwhile, has also rubbished Mr Kejriwal’s allegations about ‘poison’ in the Yamuna. However, the water body chief’s statement was questioned by Atishi, who suggested he may have been coerced by the BJP, through the Lt Governor’s office, into saying it.

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New Delhi:

The Congress hit out at the Election Commission on Saturday, saying the “self-congratulation” on National Voters’ Day would not obscure the fact that the poll panel as it has been functioning makes a “mockery” of the Constitution and is an insult to the voters themselves.

The opposition party also alleged that over the past decade, the professionalism and independence of the Election Commission has been “severely compromised” by the duo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Even as we celebrate National Voters’ Day, the ceaseless erosion of the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India, in the last ten years, is a matter of grave national concern.” “Our Election Commission of India and our Parliamentary Democracy, despite widespread doubts, over the decades, turned out to be impartial, independent and ideal to emulate globally,” he said.

The realisation of universal adult suffrage, extending to the grassroots levels of panchayat and urban local bodies embodies the vision of our founders, he said.

“However, complacency in upholding democratic processes can inadvertently pave the way for authoritarianism. Therefore, safeguarding the independence of our institutions is essential to preserve our democracy and uphold the constitutional principles that underpin it,” Kharge said.

Even as we celebrate National Voter’s day, the ceaseless erosion of the institutional integrity of the Election Commission of India, in the last ten years, is a matter of grave national concern.

Our Election Commission of India and our Parliamentary Democracy, despite… pic.twitter.com/W6QgzEt75o

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) January 25, 2025

The National Voters’ Day has been celebrated for the past 15 years to mark the inception of the Election Commission (EC) on January 25, 1950, a day before India became a republic.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “There will be a lot of self-congratulation today but that will not obscure the fact that the Election Commission as it has been functioning makes a mockery of the Constitution and is an insult to the voters themselves.” “Today has been celebrated as National Voters Day since 2011 to mark the day on which the Election Commission came into being 75 years ago on Jan 25th, 1950,” he noted.

The Election Commission is a Constitutional body and its first Chairman was the legendary Sukumar Sen whose role in establishing the foundations of our electoral democracy was crucial, Ramesh said.

“He was the sole Chief Election Commissioner for eight years. His ‘Report on the First General Elections in India 1951-52’ is a classic. But the preparations of the draft electoral roll for the first elections had been completed before Sen took over,” he said.

The story of this historic endeavour and of the people involved in it is narrated very finely by Ornit Shani in her definitive ‘How India Became Democratic’, Ramesh pointed out.

There have been other distinguished CECs, among whom TN Seshan stands tallest and whose contributions were seminal, he said.

“Sadly, over the past decade, the professionalism and independence of the Election Commission has been severely compromised by the PM-HM duo,” Ramesh alleged.

“Some of its decisions are now under challenge in the Supreme Court. Its stand on the concerns raised on the recent assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra has been shockingly partisan,” Ramesh said.

“There will be a lot of self-congratulation today but that will not obscure the fact that the Election Commission as it has been functioning makes a mockery of the Constitution and is an insult to the voters themselves,” he said.

In another post on X, Ramesh said? “As we celebrate National Voters’ Day, it is instructive to recall what the RSS weekly Organiser had written on Jan 7, 1952 in the midst of the first general election. It hoped that Jawaharlal Nehru would live to ‘confess the failure of universal adult franchise in India’.” “It rebuked Nehru who, it said, ‘all along lived by slogans and stunts’ for not listening to others and insisting that ALL citizens over the age of 21 should have the right to vote. This was, of course, reduced to 18 in 1989,” Ramesh recalled. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Once the election season heats up enough, even a retweet can spark a political firestorm. 

This is exactly what happened on Wednesday when Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh tore into the District Election Officer of New Delhi for resharing a post by BJP Delhi’s official handle on X (formerly Twitter) about a meeting between some of the party’s leaders and Election Commission officials.

Sharing a screenshot of the retweet, Mr Singh, in a post dripping with sarcasm, accused the District Election Officer (DEO) of bias and said the officer would formally join the BJP and campaign for the party. The DEO clarified that the social media handle is managed by an officer from the social media cell, who had reposted the tweet “inadvertently” and has been replaced.

In his post on X, Mr Singh wrote in Hindi, “A first in the history of India – the Election Officer of New Delhi has started retweeting BJP’s tweets secretly. Now the District Election Officer of New Delhi Legislative Assembly is saying “When you love, what is there to fear?” (‘jab pyaar kiya to darna kya‘).” 

“The District Election Officer has now decided to join the BJP and campaign openly. Tomorrow at 11 am, the District Election Officer will formally join the BJP at the BJP office,” he sneered.

Leaders from the AAP and the BJP have been meeting officials from the Election Commission frequently – often to complain against the other party – ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, which are scheduled to be held on February 5. The post by BJP Delhi retweeted by the DEO’s handle was about the party’s Delhi President Virendra Sachdeva, MP Bansuri Swaraj and others meeting Election Commission officials on Tuesday. 

‘Officer Replaced’

Replying to the AAP Rajya Sabha MP’s post, the DEO clarified that the repost was immediately undone as soon as it was brought to light and that the social media cell has been directed to exercise caution. 

“The DEO’s official social media handle is managed by the Nodal Officer, Social Media Cell, who is responsible for posting replies and addressing tweets, particularly to counter misinformation and ensure accurate communication with the public. It has come to light that this particular tweet was inadvertently reposted while replying to the said tweet as part of routine engagement with social media content. The repost was immediately undone as soon as it was brought to the notice of the DEO,” the DEO’s handle posted.

The poll officer said the nodal officer of the social media cell has been replaced to ensure accountability and ensure the incident is not repeated. 

“Additionally, the Social Media Cell has been directed to exercise greater caution in future engagements to maintain the integrity and impartiality of the DEO’s social media communications. This clarification is issued to reaffirm the DEO’s commitment to impartiality and adherence to the guidelines laid down by the Election Commission of India,” the post said. 

Earlier Row

Mr Singh’s dig at the District Election Officer came hours after the Aam Aadmi Party had accused the Election Commission of remaining mum while the BJP’s Parvesh Verma, who is contesting against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal from the New Delhi Assembly constituency, distributed shoes to voters. 

The returning officer of the constituency had then filed a complaint with the police and a case was registered against Mr Verma for violating the Model Code of Conduct. 

AAP delegation met the Commission on Thursday.

New Delhi:

The Election Commission has brushed off Congress allegations in two key areas on which the party had sought a reply, insisting there is no discrepancy in the voter turnout figures or deletion from voter lists.

On October 19, Maharashtra’s Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi had met the Commission on multiple issues. 

The Congress – an ally in the Opposition alliance — had complained about the inexplicable increase in voter turnout between the numbers of 5 pm and the final figures from the commission. 

The Commission denied any discrepancy, and asserted that considering the 5 pm turnout as final is merely a misconception.

While the voting officially ends at 5 pm in most places, those already at the polling booth are allowed to cast their votes however long it takes. 

But Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal, which has also raised questions about the same issue yesterday, pointed out that prior to 2014, this discrepancy was minor, mostly around 2 per cent. 

In the Lok Sabha and assembly elections held earlier this year, the discrepancy was much higher in most places. In the Chief Minister’s constituency, it was over 30 per cent, the BJD had pointed out.

Regarding the Congress allegations of arbitrary deletion from voters’ list, then Commission said a total of 8,00,391 voters’ names were deleted this time. The figures indicate an average of 2,779 names per constituency.

The Commission said the Congress complaint of addition of 50,000 voters in 50 assembly constituencies of Maharashtra was “misleading” and “factually Incorrect”.

In only five constituencies, the total addition were over 50,000 electors, the Commission said.

The poll body said it is committed to a respectful, collaborative relation with all political parties, so critical for healthy democracy. IT said it welcomes suggestions for any improvement in the Electoral process. 
 

New Delhi:

The government has tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV cameras, webcasting footage, and video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse. This has led to the Opposition accusing the government of “eroding integrity of the electoral process”.

EC officials have said misuse of CCTV camera footage from inside polling booths could compromise voter secrecy. They also said the footage could be used to generate fake narrative using artificial intelligence (AI).

The Union Law Ministry on Friday amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of “papers” or documents open to public inspection, based on a recommendation by the Election Commission (EC).

According to Rule 93, all “papers” related to elections shall be open to public inspection. The amendment, however, inserts “as specified in these rules” after “papers”.

A court case triggered the amendment, according to Law Ministry and EC officials.

While documents such as nomination forms, appointment of election agents, results and election account statements are mentioned in the Conduct of Election Rules, electronic documents such as CCTV camera footage, webcasting footage and video recording of candidates during the model code period are not covered.

“CCTV coverage, webcasting of polling stations are not carried out under Conduct of Election Rules but are the result of steps taken by the EC to ensure a level playing field,” a former EC official told news agency PTI.

Another EC official said there have been instances where such electronic records have been sought, citing the rules. “The amendment ensures that only papers mentioned in the rules are available for public inspection and any other document which has no reference in the rules is not allowed for public inspection.”

All such material is still available to candidates, including footage, as people can always go to court to get electronic records, an EC official said, adding candidates already have access to all documents and papers and nothing has been amended in the rules in this regard.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court directed sharing all documents related to the Haryana assembly elections, including CCTV camera footage, with lawyer Mahmoud Pracha in a case he contested against the EC.

The rule mentioned only election papers, and election papers and documents do not specifically refer to electronic records. In order to remove this ambiguity, the rule has been amended to safeguard the misuse of CCTV camera footage from polling stations, an EC official said.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the party will challenge the amendment in court.

“If there was ever a vindication of our assertions regarding the rapidly eroding integrity of the electoral process managed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in recent times, this is it,” Mr Ramesh said in a post on X.

The Congress leader said sunlight was the best disinfectant and information would restore faith in the election process — a reasoning the Punjab and Haryana High Court agreed with when it directed the EC to share all information it was legally required to with the public.

New Delhi:

India aims to move to a system of holding a singular, unified, gargantuan election in which citizens elect both the Central government and respective state (federal) governments.

This will not be the first time India attempts this system of election. When the country earned its Independence in 1947, the founding fathers had planned for this very model of election – simultaneous parliamentary and state assembly polls. From the very first election held in the country – in 1952 – this was the way India voted.

But all that changed in 1967 – when India voted for the last time under the ‘One Nation, One Election’ format. At the time, all of India voted in a single phase, except for Uttar Pradesh (formerly United Provinces), which voted in four phases. Polling was conducted between the 15th and 21st of February that year. This was India’s fourth such election and polling was carried out to elect MPs and MLAs to 520 Lok Sabha seats and 3,563 Assembly constituencies.

Then the era of coalition politics peaked, and ultimately led to the end of simultaneous elections in the country. Till 1967, the Congress was the only party which governed India, but by then it was facing several challenges and setbacks. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had died a few year ago, his daughter, Indira Gandhi was facing pressure from key allies; the Congress was facing large-scale anti-incumbency as well as struggling with an internal power tussle, and to top it all, India had lost the 1962 war against China.

Six decades hence, India now looks to resume the ‘One Nation, One Election’. The Union Cabinet led by the Prime Minister has cleared the proposal and approved the bills to implement it. It will now likely be tabled in Parliament in the ongoing Winter Session, with an aim to be passed Constitutionally for it to become the norm.

OTHER NATIONS WITH SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONS

Before this stage was reached, a high-level panel had been formed. It was led by former President Ram Nath Kovind. The panel not just studied how India carried out such elections in the past and what the loopholes were at the time, but also carried out extensive research on how such elections are carried out across the world.

During its global research, the panel focused on seven countries – South Africa, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Indonesia, The Philippines, and Japan – all of which carry out simultaneous elections and have been doing so successfully. The panel then submitted its findings and a proposed working model to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu earlier this year.

In its report, the panel stated that a detailed comparative analysis of countries with similar electoral processes was studied to understand their workings of conducting simultaneous elections. The aim of understanding multiple models from different nations carrying out unified, simultaneous polls was to learn and adopt the best international practices and to ensure fairness and transparency in the electoral process.

“In South Africa, voters cast their ballots for both the National Assembly and Provincial Legislatures simultaneously. However, municipal elections are held separately from provincial ones in a five-year cycle,” the report stated.

Sweden, the panel stated, functions on a proportional electoral system. This means that the number of seats a political party is assigned in the elected assembly is based on its share of votes in the election. “They have a system where elections for the Parliament (Riksdag), County Councils, and Municipal Councils all take place at the same time. These elections occur every four years on the second Sunday of September whereas elections to the municipal assemblies occur on the second Sunday of September, once every five years,” it stated.

The panel also studied the German model of electioneering. In its report is stated that in Germany, there is a constructive vote of no-confidence in addition to the procedure for the appointment of a Chancellor made by the Bundestag (Germany’s Lower House of Parliament). It is a variation on the motion of no confidence that allows a parliament to withdraw confidence from a head of government only if there is a positive majority for a prospective successor.

In Japan, the Prime Minister is firstly appointed by the National Diet and thereafter accepted by the Emperor. According to the report, a key member in the high-level panel had suggested that India should “adopt a model similar to that in Germany and Japan”.

Like India, Indonesia also switched to the ‘One Nation, One Election’ format only recently – in 2019. The President, Vice-President, and members of both national and regional legislative bodies are elected on the same day. According to the report by the high-level panel “Political parties need 4 per cent of votes to qualify for the National Parliament. A Presidential candidate needs more than 50 per cent of votes cast overall and at least 20 per cent of votes in more than half the country’s provinces to win.”

The report also noted that “On February 14, 2024, Indonesia successfully conducted simultaneous elections. It was termed as the world’s largest single day elections since nearly 200 million people voted across all five levels – President, Vice-President, Members of Parliament, Members of Regional Assemblies and Municipal elections.”

India, a country of more than 1.4 billion (1,400 million / 140 crore) people, now aims to create the world record by conducting the largest-ever simultaneous elections. Whether that will happen in 2029 is not certain yet. It will first have to pass the test in Parliament.
 

New Delhi:

The Congress – still fuming over defeat in the Maharashtra election – submitted an “urgent memorandum” to the Election Commission Friday, asking for an in-person meeting to red-flag “certain serious and grave inconsistencies… in data related to polling and counting processes”.

In a 12-page document submitted this afternoon, the Congress also referred to doubts about voter data that were raised by former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and raised two points of concern.

The first was “arbitrary deletion of voters. and subsequent addition of over 10,000 voters in each constituency” and the second was an “inexplicable increase in voting percentages…”

Based on these points, the Congress has alleged a systemic effort to try and reduce the number of voters (and votes) “sympathetic to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (the opposition alliance, of which the Congress is a member, and which lost heavily to the BJP-led Mahayuti combine)”.

Here is a memorandum just submitted to @ECISVEEP on the Maharashtra assembly elections by Shri @NANA_PATOLE, Shri @MukulWasnik, and Shri Ramesh @chennithala

They have raised serious issues which are being discussed in the public domain. They have asked the EC for an in-person… pic.twitter.com/K4zfx5tjhF

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 29, 2024

The Congress has urged the EC to conduct a thorough investigation into its complaints.

Congress’ Complaints To EC

Among the claims made in its submission to the EC, the Congress said the “arbitrary inclusion/deletion of voter records” led to an “unprecedented increase of (around) 47 lakh voters being added to the electoral roll from between July 2024 and November 2024”.

“It is significant to note that out of the 50 Assembly seats where there was an average increase of 50,000 voters, the ruling regime and its allies secured victory from 47…” the Congress said.

The Congress submitted alleged manipulation of voter list at the Tuljapur seat as an example, noting “fake Aadhaar cards were created by individuals with differing photos and names” to cast illegal votes.

The Tuljapur seat – held by the Congress’ Madhukarrao Chavan from 1999 to 2014 – was won by the BJP’s Ranajagjitsinha Patil by 37,000 votes. This is the first time the BJP has ever won this seat.

On the second red-flag – i.e., discrepancies in voter turnout data – the Congress pointed out the EC’s average voter turnout at 5 pm was 58.22 per cent, and that this jumped to 65.02 per cent by 11.30 pm.

“Further, there was another increase in voting percentage, ultimately being reported as 66.05 per cent, several hours prior to counting. From a common sense viewpoint, over 70 lakh votes being cast in the closing hour of polling is implausible and unheard of in electoral history…” the Congress reasoned.

“Even assuming time taken by one individual to cast their vote is two minutes… it is impossible for the Election Commission to have even come out with the final data by 11.30 pm, considering that 76 lakh voters would have exercised their franchise within the last hour of polling…”

“It is submitted,” the Congress’ letter concluded, “that the said discrepancies raise several questions about the manner in which the election was conducted across Maharashtra.”

Congress’ Complaints About Haryana Loss

Continuing claims about voter fraud, the slow rate at which data is published (on the EC’s website) on counting day, and the credibility of EVMs, or electronic voting machines, made headlines earlier this month too, after the Congress complained about the Haryana poll result.

Exit polls had expected the party to claim a convincing win and the day began well, with the Congress surging into an early big lead. However, as counting continued the BJP scripted a comeback and, eventually, a comfortable win to claim a historic third term in the state.

A furious Congress refused to accept the verdict, insisting EVMs had been hacked and raising questions about alleged delays in the Election Commission publishing voting data online.

EC’s Response To Earlier Congress Complaint

On complaints about the Haryana result, the EC had hit back hard, criticising the Congress for making “baseless allegations… when faced with inconvenient electoral outcomes”, and warning it, and other parties, against “unfounded and sensational complaints” during voting and counting processes.

READ | “Haryana Electoral Process Flawless”: EC Hits Back At Congress

BJP Slams Congress

The Congress’ complaints about EVMs and potential voter fraud, meanwhile, have been picked up and trashed by the BJP. On Thursday the winning party pointed out that if its rival’s claim about faulty EVMs are true, then the results of elections they had won should be questioned too.

READ | “If They Lose, They Cry. But If They Win…”: BJP Mocks Congress On EVMs

“If they lose, they start crying about EVMs. And, if they win, the Congress wins… It is not the EVM, it is the Congress’ intentions that are bad!” the BJP said in a Hindi post on X.

READ | “Jharkhand Election Fair But If We…”: D Fadnavis On EVM Moans

In the final round of elections for 2024, the Congress-led INDIA bloc retained power in Jharkhand, thanks largely to Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. But the national party was thumped in Maharashtra, with the BJP leading its allies to a landslide win.

READ | Priyanka Gandhi Takes Oath As MP Holding Copy Of Constitution

The Congress did, however, manage to retain the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat; senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made a sensational electoral debut from Kerala.

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The enforcement agencies have seized over Rs 1,000 crore worth of cash, liquor and other inducements in the ongoing elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and across 14 states where bypolls are being held, the Election Commission said Monday.

Out of Rs 1,000 crore, 858 crores has been seized from Maharashtra and Jharkhand, which is 7 times the seizures done during the assembly elections in 2019, the poll body said.

In 2019 assembly elections, Maharashtra recorded seizures worth Rs. 103.61 crore while for Jharkhand it was Rs. 18.76 crore.

The second round of voting in Jharkhand will take place on November 20. Maharashtra will vote on the same day. The votes for both states will be counted on November 23.

“In Maharashtra, seizures were recorded in all cohorts across all districts, much higher than previous assembly elections. A few noteworthy operations included seizure of Rs. 3.70 crore of cash from a suspicious Jeep in Wada police station area in Palghar District. In another noteworthy incident, in Jamod AC of Buldhana district, 4500 kg of Ganja plants worth Rs 4.51 crore were seized. In Raigad, Rs. 5.20 crore worth of silver bars were seized,” said the poll body.

The poll body said it focus on curbing the role of money power in the elections has resulted in increased volume of seizures.

Chief Election Officer Rajiv Kumar has directed all officials and observers to continue strict watch over next two days and curb distribution of any inducements till polling is complete.

“Jharkhand also witnessed record seizures and this time focus was also to curb illicit mining activities which resulted in seizures of illegal mining materials and machines involved. In a single incident, Rs. 2.26 crore worth of illegal mining material was seized in Rajmahal AC in Sahibganj district and many such actions included seizures related to illegal mining activities,” read the statement.

In Daltonganj, 687 kg of poppy straw was seized, while in Hazaribagh 48.18 Kg of Marijuana was seized, said the Commission.

In Rajasthan, 449 cartons of liquor consignment, hidden behind many layers of boxes of potatoes, was seized at Nagaur while in transit from one neighbouring state to another, said the poll body.

“The surge in seizures involves an extensive monitoring process, which starts months before the announcement of elections. It included an array of activities like sensitising and reviewing enforcement agencies for more coordinated and comprehensive monitoring, marking of expenditure sensitive constituencies, ensuring adequate field teams, training on expenditure monitoring systems and appointment of experienced officers as Expenditure Observers,” said the poll body.

The poll body said the seizures were also the result of investments made in information technology.

“Information Technology is also heavily used through inhouse software ESMS (Election Seizure Management System) for real-time monitoring and sharing of information amongst multiple agencies for a wider deterrence,” it said.
 

Ranchi:

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing them of delaying helicopters of his and Rahul Gandhi in Jharkhand, and alleged that despite holding cabinet minister rank, the opposition leaders were not given access to reserved airport lounge.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s helicopter, which was supposed to take him from Mahagama in Jharkhand’s Godda district after he addressed an election rally there, was grounded for about two hours on Friday, prompting allegations from the Congress that the delay was politically motivated.

Prime Minister Modi was stranded at Deoghar airport for nearly two hours on Friday and a ‘no-fly zone’ was declared in the region’s airspace as the PM waited for the issue to be resolved, officials said.

“Yesterday, our leader Rahul Gandhi’s helicopter was deliberately delayed by two hours as the PM was sitting in his plane. Today, my chopper was delayed by 20 minutes as Union Home Minister Amit Shah was landing. His path was separate and mine was separate.

“Rahul Gandhi ji, who is the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, holds a cabinet minister’s rank, and so do I. But in airport’s reserved lounge, they (officials) say it is for Prime Minister Modi, I want to ask can even a toilet be reserved for the PM,” Mr Kharge alleged, without mentioning the name of the airport.

Attacking the BJP over the infiltration issue raked by the party, he alleged that PM Modi and Mr Shah are frightening people despite having the power to check it.

“Are PM Modi and Amit Shah sleeping? Why can’t they check infiltration despite being in power? When they can stop a helicopter, why can’t they stop infiltrators?” he questioned.

Mr Kharge also accused the Centre of using ED, CBI, I-T against those who help the Congress and its allies.

He alleged that the BJP wanted to form the government in Jharkhand to loot its natural resources.

Further attacking the BJP, he said, “They say ‘bant gaye toh kat gaye’ (if divided, we will be wiped out), I say ‘dar gaye toh mar gaye’ (if you are afraid, you die).” He also hailed Sarna religious code as a symbol of tribal pride and stressed the need to protect it.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)